Over the last week, we’ve been taking a look at what every ACC team’s season will look like in 2019. Here’s a recap of what the entire conference will look like, broken down into tiers.
The Clemson Tier
Clemson Tigers
Yeah, Clemson gets their own tier. This doesn’t really need an explanation because the gap between them and the rest of the conference is massive. The Tigers winning their fifth straight ACC title feels like one of the safest bets out there.
Could maybe scare Clemson
Miami Hurricanes
Virginia Cavaliers
Syracuse Orange
Virginia Tech Hokies
These are the four teams with the best chance of beating Clemson. Syracuse is the only one guaranteed a shot, but Miami or a Virginia school will almost surely win the Coastal and face the Tigers in Charlotte.
However, all of these teams have major “ifs” that will be pivotal in their season. For Miami and Syracuse, it’s if new quarterbacks(Tate Martell and Tommy DeVito) can step up in a big way. For both of the Virginia schools, it’s if the trends of the last few years will continue. UVA has been steadily improving under Mendenhall, while Tech has been doing the opposite under Fuente.
Should make a bowl
Florida State
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Pittsburgh Panthers
Boston College Eagles
All four of these teams are retooling in some way. FSU is coming back after Taggart’s first season was the first time they missed a bowl in over three decades. NC State lost play caller Eli Drinkwitz, 3-year-starter Ryan Finley and plenty of other starters on both sides of the ball. Pitt lost two 1,000 yard backs, all but one offensive linemen and nearly a dozen other starters. Almost the entire defense for BC is new, along with both coordinators.
But that doesn’t mean that these teams don’t have the potential and expectation to go bowling this year. FSU and BC made upgrades at offensive coordinator in adding Kendal Briles and losing Scot Loeffler, respectively. While NC State loses plenty, they signed two of their best recruiting classes of the last decade in the past two years. Finally, Pitt QB Kenny Pickett is back and they have at least one returning starter at each level of the defense.
Hope to make a bowl
Wake Forest Demon Decons
Duke Blue Devils
Both Dave Clawson and David Cutcliffe have done incredible work to get their respective teams to where they are now. However, these might be the teams to get left behind in a very crowded ACC middle class. Wake lost a lot of production from a defense that already struggled significantly and also doesn’t have a clear starter at QB. And for Duke, replacing 6th overall pick Daniel Jones (lol) and the rest of the passing game will be difficult.
Will field a football team
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
North Carolina Tar Heels
Louisville Cardinals
The three new ACC coaches all find themselves in different situations, but face the same task: a long rebuild project. Geoff Collins might be a perfect fit for GT, but modernizing both the offense and really the entire culture of the team will certainly take some time. Mack Brown might only be back in Chapel Hill to lay the groundwork for the next coach. And Scott Satterfield is in for the long haul to repair the shambles that Bobby Petrino left. We don’t know a whole lot about what these teams will look like in 2019, but the focus for all three should only be on building for the future.